Investing in Your Career

Whether you are looking for a job or want to gain an advantage in your field, building up your skills set as a employee will only work to your benefit. Half of the ways to build up skill sets are through edducation while the other half are through networking. In all,its really up to you to identify what you need to improve your skills in the industry you work in. For those in the pharmaceutical and medical device fields a Balck Belt in Six Sigma may be fitting for your industry. If your biotech company conducts business in China, it may be useful to take a few Chinese classes. In total, it's about the needs of your industry and what you feel will benefit your future career. Here are six options you should consider:

1. Get a certification: In fields such as Human Resources, project management, and the technical field, certifications make all the difference.

2. Go back to school and get an additional degree: If you are unemplored and have put off getting that MBA, master's degree or even PH.D - now is the time is go back to school and get it. Your earning power can significantly increase by 10% or more depending on what type of degree you get.

3. Learn a language: Learning a language will help increase your communication skills as well as make you more versatile and valuable to your employer. In border cities such as San Diego, Spanish is often key to getting a job in many businesses. A new trend in biotech companies has been outsourcing laboratory work to China. Knowing languages can only work to your benefit - and there are ways to even get certified in a language to show your employer that you posess the skill set.

University extension courses are a great source for language courses for people in the San Diego area. Referencing UCSD's extension course website may give you a headstart:
http://extension.ucsd.edu/programs/index.cfm?vAction=certDetail&vCertificateID=78&vStudyAreaID=11

One of the best ways to prove you are certified in Chinese is taking the official Chinese certification test, which is officialized by the Chinese government:
http://www.hsk.org.cn/english/Default.aspx

4. Branding yourself online: Own your own domain and name - create a webpage to showcase your work. Update your profiles on facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites. Its more common these days to have an "online presence". It's even a must for more current, younger companies.

5. Ask someone to be your coach or mentor: Whether or not it's a friend in your industry or a paid career coach, it's important that you have people around to help you make critical career decisions. Having someone else around to help asess your career goals will not only give you some perspective, but also when hitting a rough patch in your career your mentor can help you get back on your feet.

6. Join a professional association in your field: This is a good way to meet more people in your field outside of your company. Networking with people in the same field outside of your company may come in handy in case you are laid off. Not only that, but many of these organizations can help you with professional development. Especially in the biotech, pharm, and medical device in industry, keeping up to date is important to your career.

Professional Societies for the Biotech Industry (listed by state): http://www.netsci.org/Resources/Web/society_biotech.html

Global Listing of Medical Device Associations: http://www.emergogroup.com/links/medical-device-associations


Global Listing of Pharm Associations: http://www.pharmcast.com/WebLinks/Association_WL091799.htm#usa

In all, these six tips are only the first step to building up your skills set for a better career. The best way to differentiate yourself from your co-workers is to be creative and stand out from the crowd.